ronnie fieg rebuilds two classic BMWs in archival inka orange to celebrate 15 years of KITH

two generations of BMW meet in inka orange

For Kith’s 15th anniversary, Ronnie Fieg turns to two BMW coupes separated by exactly 15 years. A 1972 BMW 3.0 CSi E9 and a 1987 BMW M6 E24 have been stripped down, rebuilt, and finished in Inka Orange, an archival BMW shade introduced on the 02 Series in 1971.

The pair marks the automotive centerpiece of Kith and BMW’s fourth collaboration, which continues a series shaped around colors pulled from the automaker’s history. Cinnabar Red opened the sequence. Later chapters added Kith-developed Vitality Green and Techno Violet. Here, the orange lets the same color move across two eras of BMW grand touring, from the slim pillars and chrome of the E9 to the harder-edged profile of the E24.

images courtesy Kith

The earlier car has the strongest historical connection to Inka Orange. BMW and Kith founder Ronnie Fieg began with a 1972 3.0 CSi and took its body down to bare metal for a complete frame-off restoration, followed by KTL treatment and a fresh coat of Inka Orange. Original components sourced through BMW archives went back into the car, including its M30 straight-six, transmission, rear axle, suspension and brakes.

Inside, caramel leather covers the cabin with Kith’s monogram embossed into the upholstery. Restored gauges and wood trim keep the interior close to the E9’s period character, while the warmer leather gives the orange exterior an unusually rich counterpart.

Ronnie Fieg brings BMW’s archival Inka Orange to two generations of grand tourers

from e9 to e24

When E9 production ended in 1975, the E24 6 Series followed as BMW’s next large coupe. Fieg uses that succession as the reason to place the M6 beside the 3.0 CSi. The 1987 car receives the same Inka Orange exterior and caramel interior, though its longer nose and crisp beltline, with a deep front spoiler below, give the color an entirely different presence.

The M6 was already a familiar object in Fieg’s own collection years before this release. In a 2022 interview with BMW M, he described the E24 M6 as BMW’s most classically designed model and said he owned two examples at the time.

the 1987-era coupe is dressed in a color from its predecessor’s era

Its rebuild goes just as deep. The M6 was mounted on a rotisserie and stripped to bare metal before being reconstructed around its S38 inline-six and Getrag five-speed manual transmission. The differential, suspension, brakes and OEM BBS Style 5 wheels were rebuilt as well. A caramel leather cabin repeats the embossed Kith monogram, creating an immediate visual link to the 3.0 CSi.

Fieg’s signatures stay largely within the surfaces and detailing, while the mechanical architecture remains tied to BMW’s original components. Side by side, the cars read as relatives without collapsing their differences in age.

the 1972 BMW 3.0 CSi underwent a complete frame-off restoration before receiving its orange finish

one paint color crosses fifteen years

Inka Orange carries much of the project. BMW introduced the shade in 1971 as a high-visibility finish intended for poor weather conditions, and it soon became associated with the company’s sporting cars of the early 1970s. On the 3.0 CSi, it feels almost native to the period.

On the M6, a car from the late 1980s, it creates a small historical shift, dressing the later grand tourer in a color from its predecessor’s era. That move makes the pairing more interesting than a simple set of matching restorations. The paint creates a direct comparison between their proportions and detailing, along with the changing attitude of BMW coupe design across generations.

the E9 body was stripped to bare metal and rebuilt using components sourced through BMW archives

The cars also continue the palette-based logic behind Kith and BMW’s previous chapters. Cinnabar Red came through the E30 M3. Later projects moved into Vitality Green and Techno Violet before Fieg reached further back into the archive for Inka Orange. The two one-off BMWs now feed their color and detailing into a broader Kith for BMW 2026 collection of apparel and accessories, which releases globally on August 17th.

For Fieg, who has spent years collecting and restoring BMW M cars with the automaker, the project lands somewhere between restoration and color study. Two coupes, 15 years apart, offer a compact view of how BMW’s grand touring shape changed while a single shade remains convincing on both.

caramel leather and an embossed Kith monogram reshape the 3.0 CSi interior

the M6’s caramel leather cabin creates an immediate visual link to the 3.0 CSi

Kith founder Ronnie Fieg has spent years collecting and restoring BMW M cars with the automaker

project info:

project: 1972 BMW 3.0 CSi & 1987 BMW M6 E24
designer: Ronnie Fieg
collaboration: Kith for BMW

The post ronnie fieg rebuilds two classic BMWs in archival inka orange to celebrate 15 years of KITH appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.